The WestPAC North rivals both struggled from the paint in the game. The Indians (4-5) had trouble with the Jacket full-court press in the first half, struggling to find an open man for a shot. The Jackets (3-8) made just five field goals in the second half as the Indians forced 10 turnovers.

“We needed the win,” Township head coach Chuck Lesko said. “We had the day off Tuesday and we came out sluggish because of that. We were able to put some things together and go on a little run in the second half.”

Duray, who Lesko said was ill, took over the third quarter. He scored eight of his game-high 20 points in the frame including two strong layups in 30 seconds.

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“It was a valiant effort from Matt,” Lesko said. “I rested him at times to keep him fresh. He performed quite well for not feeling so good.”

Kyle Zambanini added 15 points including four straight buckets in the fourth quarter after finding himself wide open under the basket off the press.

“They beat us on 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s a couple of times and that hurt us in the second half,” Ferndale head coach Mark Wissinger said. “Their size wore us down a bit. I was pleased with the effort and speed and tenacity of the kids early. We just didn’t have the offense in this game. I had hoped the strong shooting in the Conemaugh Valley game would have carried over into this one.”

Ferndale’s Ryan Gaunt tied the game at 20 with less than three minutes in the first half. The Yellow Jackets capped off a 9-3 run with the three-point play as the Indians missed four of eight foul shots during that run. CT countered with six straight points. The half ended at 26-22.

The Indians had a 15-5 run in the second half that really broke the game open. They pulled from a 10-point lead to a 22-point lead during that run.

“We always strive to have an 8-0 run at some point in the game,” Lesko said. “It can break open a game or put a nail in the coffin. We strive to do that as a program.”

“We do need to work on the foul shooting,” the first-year coach added. “I think it’s a confidence problem for the most part. We miss one or two and have negative thoughts.” CT was 15 of 33 from the charity stripe.